Round Valley thumps St. Johns

Eric Norwood
Special for azcentral sports
Two balls lay on the field before Desert Vista's game against Perry on Friday night at Desert Vista High School on Nov. 9, 2018.

The Eagar Round Valley Elks put the game out of reach in the first half as they thumped St. Johns 44-12 in the 2A Semifinals.

Kason Woolf ran for a pair of touchdowns in the win and two key turnovers shifted the momentum in the first half for Round Valley. Two different players threw touchdown passes in a team effort as the 11-2 Elks move on to the 2A championship game, where a rematch awaits with top-ranked Thatcher.

Standout performers

Woolf did most of his damage in the first half for the Elks before they sat him down with the game out of reach.

Woolf completed a 45-yard strike to Hunter Ziegler in the second quarter before punching in a score from eight yards out.

His second touchdown came on a 15-yard scramble that put Eagar Valley up 24-0 with five minutes before halftime.

Tayvin Bevell returned an interception 60-yards for a touchdown for the first score of the game and also threw a short TD-pass to Kaleb Newby in the win.

Highlight of the game

With the Elks up 17-0 in the second quarter, the Redskins committed a costly fumble that led to Woolf’s second touchdown. Bevell’s interception gave the Elks an early lead they would not relinquish.

The dagger of the game was a 34-yard halfback pass from Dylan Jordan to Ziegler that put the Elks up 31-0 in the second.

In the lone highlight for St. Johns, quarterback Ramon Sanchez threw a 60-yard touchdown to Kylen Ulibarri, who shook off two defenders and zig-zagged his way into the end zone to close the first half.

Quote of the game

“We pride ourselves in getting to the football. We’re not the biggest but our kids gave great effort," Eagar Round Valley coach Marc Bell said. "They ran to the football, made plays when we needed to and I’m proud of them tonight.”

Up next

Round Valley will move on and square off top-ranked Thatcher next week in the 2A Championship Game at Campo Verde High School. The Elks seek revenge after losing to Thatcher 42-3 during the regular season. 

2A championship

Friday, Nov. 23, 3 p.m. at Gilbert Campo Verde High School

No. 1 Thatcher (12-0) vs. No. 3 Eagar Round Valley (10-2)